Parenting for some is a pleasant and heartwarming experience overall. For other parents, however, parenting has caused them to feel overwhelmed and bitter. What causes bitterness in parents? A few simple factors make a major difference.

People make some truly nonsensical comments to parents, which reflect both a lack of empathy and memory lapse of what it was like when their own children were young. Parents hear these three statements all the time, inducing a familiar and powerful cringe.